Opposition Statement: Calls for flexible fares for Go Card

[ozbob]

Fiona Simpson MP
Shadow Minister for Main Roads and Transport
Member for Maroochydore

25 August 2010

Calls for flexible fares for Go Card

Shadow Minister for Transport and Main Roads Fiona Simpson has called for more flexible pricing options to be made available through the Go Card system.

Ms Simpson said that Melbourne's Myki public transport fare system has daily fare caps and other flexible pricing options for public transport users.

"Both Myki and the Go Card use technology which can be programmed to do this – so other pricing options for the Go Card could easily be configured," said Ms Simpson.

"I have asked the Minister in Parliament to introduce other, more flexible, pricing options for the Go Card.  But I'm still waiting to receive an answer about whether she will provide commuters with a better fare system than the Go Card currently offers," Ms Simpson said.

Unlike the paper ticket system previously used which allowed users to purchase daily, weekly or monthly capped tickets, the Go Card does not cap fares.

"The Minister hiked public transport fares for paper ticket users by up to 40 per cent in January, effectively removing a viable option for commuters to buy capped fares," said Ms Simpson.

Ms Simpson believes that by refusing to enable more flexible pricing options for Go Card the Minister is ignoring the concerns of its best customers, the regular commuters, and discouraging use of the public transport system.

"The fare structure needs to be fairer and more flexible."

[Derwan]

One of the things I hate about the Go Card is that it unfairly punishes us for poor public transport.

Take the following example.  From North Boondall (zone 4) to Carseldine (zone 4) is a quick trip through a couple of suburbs.  On the train, you have to go to Northgate (zone 2/3) and back out to Carseldine.

A paper ticket needs to cover all zones travelled through - simply because you wouldn't be able to police fair evasion if it were otherwise.  Go Cards are different.  If I touch on at North Boondall and off at Carseldine, why should I have to pay for the trip to Northgate, which I only made because there is no direct route between the two suburbs?

The same could be said for the southern lines - but it gets a bit difficult.  A trip from Ipswich to Beenleigh is zone 7 to 7, but that's more than just a couple of suburbs.  This is where distance-based charging could come in play.  (This has been mentioned several times before.)

[somebody]

While that's true, Derwan, I think it is a bigger deal that the one zone fare is so ridiculously expensive.  Also, with Melbourne's fares, note that weekend trips are in most cases less than half the price of weekday trips.  That's a much more equitable off peak discount, even though it doesn't apply in daytimes and evenings.